Hanson House 2 claims to achieve a zero-carbon footprint. Built at BRE’s Watford headquarters for the OFFSITE2007 exhibition (11-14 June), its aim is to deliver the eco-target set by the government’s voluntary Code for Sustainable Homes.
The three-bed detached concrete/masonry house employs a host of features to reach its green aim. The principle design feature is a ventilating roof lantern that is used to enhance natural air currents by means of the stack effect – warmed indoor air rises and escapes through the ventilating roof lantern, which opens and closes as required to meet prevailing weather patterns.
To take full advantage of this, bedrooms are provided on the slightly cooler ground floor, with the living room, dining room and kitchen provided on the warmer first floor. The rather unusual shape of the roof is further emphasised by vertically run zinc sheeting; and stack-bonded brickwork completes the building’s distinctive appearance.
Gerry Feenan of material supplier Hanson who worked on the scheme said: “It is important to balance the benefits of solar gain during the winter with minimising overheating in the summer. Hanson House 2 tackles both issues by employing high thermal mass, coupled with a natural ventilation system and a radical rethink of living spaces to deliver comfortable summertime conditions.”
The building refines many of the ideas and concepts behind the previous Hanson House 1, erected in 2005.
BRE director of innovation Jaya Skandamoorthy said: “This second-generation building incorporates many of the features we will need in the changing UK climate. It’s particularly interesting in the way that it uses a traditional concrete/masonry construction to take advantage of the benefits of high thermal mass, which helps to even out the temperature extremes of summer. Equally, because it is also highly insulated, it will remain warmer for longer in the colder months of winter.”
That helps a lot on preventing global warming.
Posted by: denver home security systems | 21 January 2011 at 07:23 AM
It's nice to know that people are finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint during the course of their everyday lives. I love how the occurrence of discovering alternative and eco-friendly building materials is happening more frequently.
Posted by: Kathy Carbone | 06 May 2011 at 07:29 AM
@Kathy
I really is great that the discovery of alternatives to reduce our carbon footprint is happening more often. Even within the home, one can help preserve the planet, by simply ensuring that your house has good ventilation.
Posted by: Richard Boles | 20 May 2011 at 02:47 PM